by Sara Fields
A short distance later, the wind went still again, and my instincts took over once more.
I dropped to the ground, hearing that telltale click sound again. Cosima didn’t fight me this time, closing her eyes as I covered her mouth. The bomb went off much closer this time and I could feel the top layers of my skin begin to burn more harshly this time. It wasn’t enough to truly hurt me, but it was enough to make me roar from the pain. I curled over Cosima, ensuring not a single inch of her was exposed to the dangerous ions from the bomb. I had to ensure she was safe, even at my own expense.
The weapon pulsed three times and I could feel my instincts beginning to rage inside me. This journey was growing increasingly dangerous and I knew, without a doubt, I was going to have to change tactics. Saleos was forcing my hand, that much I was sure of.
Looking around me, I saw a high mountain pass. It was barren, open to the air, and visible from all around Echelon 67. It provided zero cover, which meant there was plenty of rocket-based weaponry he could send our way. It would be more dangerous than the path I was already on now. I scoffed, and my eyes scanned below instead, looking for other options.
I then saw the entrance to another cave system that I’d explored some time ago. I knew it went for several miles and that the walls were thick and strong, withstanding even the few earthquakes that occurred here as a result of some erroneous scientific testing in the past. It would take longer to get to the other side, pushing our journey into the early morning hours, but I didn’t feel as though I had any other choice now.
I had to go below.
I sprinted toward the entrance. A different kind of explosion echoed behind us, and I hurtled forward, putting every ounce of power I had access to into the muscles of my legs. I felt the air burst outward, pushing me onward like a strong wind and I nearly stumbled into the cave. I roared, feeling the skin on my back sear even deeper, but I didn’t let it stop me. I only had a few more feet and I powered through the pain, until I finally crossed the threshold into the cave. Once inside, I breathed a sigh of relief. I pressed my back to the wall, feeling the coolness of the rock and immediately, my adrenaline levels evened out.
We’d be safe for a little while longer. I set her down and she stood tall beside me, looking around and surveying our surroundings. I checked her over, ensuring she had no injuries and was pleased to find that she didn’t. I’d gotten her safely inside, despite Saleos’ efforts to the contrary.
I knew this underground pass went on for several miles and would bring us much closer to the western perimeter of the compound. The searing ache in my skin slowly subsided as my healing abilities finally activated and took over. In less than a minute, my flesh had returned to normal and no longer burned from the power of the ion bombs. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a headlamp that I always carried with me, one that converted hydrogen atoms from the air into sustainable power, allowing me to ensure I had light whenever I needed it the most. I flicked it on and shone it down the descending path within the cave. Everything looked clear, untouched.
I sniffed the air and detected nothing. Saleos wasn’t here. With any luck, I’d left him outside somewhere.
“Come. Watch your step. We should be alright in here,” I told her, taking her hand in mind. Her small fingers squeezed mine and together, we wove through the caves, me leading the way and her following behind. In a few spots, the floor was slick with underground water and she slipped and stumbled into me, but I was there to catch her each and every time.
We entered into a large cavernous space. On one side, there was a rather large drop-off that disappeared into darkness deep in the earth. The telltale flow of water trickled across the rock, splashing down below in what sounded like a small waterfall.
Up above, water dripped from the ceiling, collecting in small puddles around our feet. It would have been serene if we weren’t trying to escape this wretched place and my evil brother, if I wasn’t trying to ensure Cosima made it out of here alive.
The journey passed uneventfully for a little while longer until a soft hum echoed in the cavern. I tried to place the sound but had trouble recognizing it at first. It sounded again, and I wondered if it was just the mountains settling around us. It had been a long time since I’d explored this part of the compound on my own, but I did remember the land being pretty active. Small earthquakes still plagued the region and I wondered if that was what I was hearing.
The humming picked up once more. It didn’t really sound natural anymore.
Almost like a bee as it swarmed its nest.
I racked my brain, trying to remember all the weapons they’d tested with us as bait, all the ones I’d watched the scientists analyze as they destroyed my brethren. I remembered thinking how I was lucky it hadn’t been me in their place.
I felt the air growing thin and warm. It came to me then. I knew what it was.
Nano swarms designed to absorb every last bit of atmospheric oxygen, creating a completely unbreathable atmosphere, but that wasn’t all. The thinning of the air created an explosively flammable environment and was highly dangerous if even a single ember ignited anywhere in the vicinity of the weapons. Shit.
Fucking bastard. I was going to kill him.
I grabbed Cosima and began to run.
It was becoming increasingly clear that perhaps I was being herded in a particular direction. It wouldn’t be above Saleos’ intellect to engineer such a scheme. He had time to study all the functions of the weapons in the compounds, heard the scientists talking about their capabilities, while I had been off training or exploring the compound.
We had led two very different lives.
I thought about the location of each of the ion bombs and now exactly where the Nano swarm was, and I arrived at a place where the pathway split into two. To the left, the air felt fresher, stronger and to the right, I could feel the effect of the Nano swarm depleting the oxygen from the caves.
Saleos was demanding that I follow his previously determined path.
What the fuck was he planning?
I heard a rumbling then and my heart dropped. The air crackled.
I grasped Cosima around the waist and shot forward into the left-side caverns and flattened her to the wall beneath me. I turned my head and watched as a firestorm hurtled down the right-hand path, the flames licking in toward us.
The temperature increased by almost fifty degrees instantly, turning the wet, humid air in the cave into something arid and hot, like in the desert.
It didn’t bother me as much as I knew it would her.
The popping of the flames was deafening and Cosima shook beneath me. The flames whooshed by in the cavern beside us, a never-ending weapon that cut off that particular path for good. I sighed. We had to go on though. There was no turning back now.
Together, we caught our breath, waiting as the flames roared not far from us.
When I was sure the flames wouldn’t follow into the path we’d taken, I gripped her by the hand and led her forward slowly, leaving the heat behind. I had to be more careful now than ever.
Saleos had planned this route for me, that much I was sure of now. What worried me now, was what was at the end of his path?
“Axel, what’s going on?” Cosima pressed.
I didn’t stop to explain. I didn’t have the time and I needed all my senses narrowed in on the dangers around us. She scoffed but didn’t argue.
“Stay close to me,” was my only response. She listened, although hesitantly.
For another mile or so, I detected nothing. There still wasn’t a single sign that my brother had been here, not a hint of his scent or a footprint in the dust on the ground. Nothing.
How?
I couldn’t figure it out. What did he want?
If he was leading us right to him though, it wouldn’t really matter. Then, it would turn into a life or death match between the two of us.
I debated just going on ahead without her and finishing him off, but I was afraid he’d set mo
re traps, that I wouldn’t be able to protect her. I also knew that she likely couldn’t find her way out of the caves on her own if he killed me. I shook my head, dismissing the thought immediately.
Up on ahead, I heard something scratch against the walls.
I narrowed my eyes and slowed and heard the telltale sound of my brother’s laugh, cruel and sadistic, only it seemed to be fading away, like he was running out of the caves. Cosima stilled and I did too.
We continued on our journey for a few more hours, until I was sure the sun was probably setting in the sky. Neither of us showed signs of slowing and I knew it would be some time before we settled in order to get a few hours’ rest.
It was quiet for a while, the only sounds the dripping of the water on the rocks around us. It was eerie, and I knew it put us both on edge.
“I want out of these caves,” she whispered.
I turned and met her eyes.
“I do too,” I replied.
In silence, we wandered off down the rocky path a while further. In places, the rocks narrowed, and she easily slipped through, whereas my frame had to contort to make my way through. I stayed calm, but I could easily see the panic simmering deep in her eyes. I brushed my hand against her shoulder and she paused, looking back at me.
“My brother is forcing the two of us together, hellcat and I can’t have you around us when that happens. I need you to run and get away, when the time is right. The moment we find him, you need to go as far as you can. I’ll kill him, and you’ll be safe,” I murmured.
Her eyes dropped to the ground, at first with sadness before she lifted them to meet mine once more. Her jaw tensed, and I saw fire in those eyes.
“I won’t leave you,” she countered.
“You’re going to have to. I’ll kill you if you don’t,” I warned, and she gritted her teeth in response.
“The fuck you will,” she replied, before taking off down the caves herself.
Chapter Seven
Cosima
I shouldn’t have said that. Ever since he’d found out I’d run into Saleos yesterday, he’d been more withdrawn, cold and it unnerved me. He was becoming entirely too detached, and it was frustrating me. I understood that there was danger, and that his brother was taking the need for revenge too far, but still. Axel scoffed behind me and eventually followed, but the pathway was strangely quiet. No sign of his brother anywhere, at least not that I could hear or see.
I struggled to push away my emotions, feeling strangely upset over the fact that he wanted me to leave him to fight his own battles. It was then I realized how much I’d grown attached to the strange beast over the past few days. Sure, he was strong, uncontrollable at times, and alpha by nature in all things. He’d fucked me hard and I hadn’t been sure I wanted that, but the more I thought about it, the more my thighs pressed together with desire for it.
Much to my initial reluctance, I realized that I cared for him.
It tore my heart apart hearing about what he went through growing up, being the product of constant scientific testing, not having a life of his own or someone even to care for him. He hadn’t told me everything, but he’d told me enough to know that he had his childhood torn away from him, that he’d been forced to grow up far too quickly. He’d never had a family or someone to care for him before.
But now. Well, now he had me. And I wasn’t about to run or leave him to the path of destruction his brother had left for him. I powered on ahead, but I heard him running up behind me.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him. I scoffed, until he slammed me into the rock wall behind me. He used just enough force to catch my attention, but not to hurt me. Still, it made me falter.
The air rushed out of my throat with a whoosh. I breathed in slowly after that, exceedingly aware of his size and strength in that moment. Compared to him, I felt like a ragdoll and there was something about that making my core come alive with desire.
I was starting to think I liked being in danger.
The rocks at my back were smooth in parts and rough in the others. My ass, still sore from the events of last night, rubbed against the wall, igniting the heat back into the welts he had put there not long ago.
His eyes burned hotly as he stared down at me, flames edging at the corners of his irises. Surrounded by danger, both our lives on the line and with that single look, he made my legs tremble and my pussy dampen. Suddenly I wanted to please him all the more.
He’d learn though. I was a force to be reckoned with.
His lips crashed down to mine and devoured me in a single instant. Animalistic, hungry, and vicious, but I loved it all the same. His knee pressed between my legs, spreading me for him, taking what was his to take and I let him.
When he finally pulled away, he just stared down at me, his gaze simmering with heat. I panted before him, as his leg moved just a little, my core throbbing at his warmth. His body temperature seemed to rise as he stood over me and I whimpered a little, unsure if I was aroused or frightened. Maybe a little bit of both.
I licked my lips and he watched the movement of my tongue across my mouth. I saw his throat bob as he swallowed, attempting to hold himself back from taking control of my body.
Just a few weeks ago, I would have run in terror from seeing a man look at me like this, let alone a genetically engineered alien. Then something in his face changed and he pushed away from me. A certain darkness took over his features and he wouldn’t look at me.
But he didn’t know me. He didn’t know what lengths I’d go to keep him with me.
In that moment, I realized exactly how much he meant to me.
He was mine.
I was his.
Even despite everything, I’d always see the light in the darkness. I saw the light within him. He was a good man. He’d rescued me from almost certain death, fought his brother for me, and carried me away to safety. He’d even got hurt for me. I’d seen the blisters on his skin from when he’d protected me from the bombs. Even when he’d lost control around me, I’d been safe in his hands, albeit very well-fucked and very sore, but he’d always taken care of me.
I licked my lips once more.
“Axel,” I began.
He didn’t answer. His skin turned red for a moment and I gritted my teeth. I saw his instincts taking over and I knew he couldn’t lose himself just yet. His brother was waiting and the two of us would have to take him down together, but I needed him fully present in order to do that.
“Focus on my voice,” I replied and the blaze within his eyes settled just a bit.
Someone laughed in the distance and I knew it was Saleos. My blood boiled with fear and my stomach twisted in a knot. Axel’s eyes burned hot, growing wilder by the second and I knew I either had to distract him now, or ready him for a fight.
I threw myself at him then and he caught me, despite the reluctance I saw on his features. One of my hands wound around his waist and the other, between his legs. He stilled completely as I touched his length, already hard and ready for me. He seemed like a ball of tense energy and suddenly, I wanted to make it all better.
“Cosima,” he breathed, his voice ripe with warning, and still I didn’t slow, instead taking my palm and stroking it up and down his cock. I felt it throb beneath my touch, hidden by his dark cloth pants. His breathing quickened, harsh against my ear and desperate. Feral.
I could see the animal rising within him. Should I wait any longer, the beast would take over and he would be uncontrollable, especially when he met his brother in battle. There was no other being in the world more than capable of fighting Saleos, but still, I knew it was going to be a danger that Axel might not walk away from. If he didn’t though, many more people would die. He had to succeed. Saleos had to die.
It was inevitable. I knew it was going to happen and I knew it was going to happen soon, but I wanted his every waking thought focused on the battle and not on me. He couldn’t falter and if he did, I’d never be able to forgive myself, especially if it
was my fault.
I had to do my best to help him.
I dropped to my knees and with the grace and experience of a well-taught lover, I unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down to his knees. He leaned up against the wall and his massive cock jutted up before me, intimidating and throbbing for me. I knew then, he wanted me, and he wanted my completely.
My fingers curled around his shaft, and he gasped out loud.
A drop of pre-cum dribbled out of the tip of his cock and I gathered it with my fingertip, using it to moisten his hard length. He groaned and I smiled with my victory, his hips rocking toward me, again and again. His cock extended out to me and I worked it slowly with my fingers at first, gradually increasing my tempo as he moved beneath me.
His shaft was incredibly hard, the veins and ridges pumping full of his arousal and I could feel my body heating up at the realization that it was all for me. Every last inch.
My mouth widened, opening up around the head of his dick. My tongue worked up and down his length and he shuddered hard. A soft purr escaped his throat and I felt my thighs tremble with my own need.
We both wanted more.
I opened my throat for him, taking as much of him as I could. His girth was impressive, wider than I thought I could stand, but for him, I would do anything. For a short amount of time, he allowed me to have control, but I saw what a strain it was for him. I worked harder because of it.
My tongue swirled, and I fought the impulse to push his great girth out of my throat. His cock pulsed once and then twice before I heard him growl, once, low in his throat. The sound was dark and seductive, and my pussy clenched in excitement, achingly empty.
His fingers gripped my shoulders.
“Take those pants down, unless you want me to rip them off,” he purred, and my clit practically jumped with excitement.
I rose up off my knees and slowly, I kicked my boots off and gently placed my gun to the side. I unbuttoned my black pants and slipped them down my hips, my breath catching in my throat as I saw him stare down at my pussy. I wonder if he could see how wet and excited I was for him.